Sealable container



Dec. 15, 193 F KE EL 2,@64,432

SEALABLE CONTAINER Filed April 25, 1936 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNETED STATES SEALABLE CONTAINER Application April 25, 1936, Serial No. 76,366

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to bags, pouches or other flexible walled containers, and more particularly to the means employed for sealing the same so that they cannot be opened without breaking the closure seals.

One object is to provide a construction which is simple and inexpensive tomanufacture, easily and quickly sealed, effective to prevent unauthorized access without leaving tell-tale evibreaking the seal.

Various other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following particular description and from an inspection of the accompanying drawing in which:--

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sealed container embodying the present invention, parts of said container being broken away to show the side seam and fold.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 Fig. 2,

Fig. i is an end view of a portion of the sealing device,

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the rigid closure member for the bag, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the upper end of the bag, parts of which are shown broken away.

In the specific embodiment of the invention shown, there is provided a fiat bag l0 made of strong flexible material such as canvas and open at one end to form a mouth as shown in Fig. 6. The bag is so constructed and sewed that if the seam should be broken or cut it cannot be resewed while the mouth of the bag is sealed. For that purpose, the bag is made from a blank folded to bring together the opposite side and bottom edges. These edges are sewed together to form a side seam I! and a bottom seam l2, and the bag is then turned inside out to bring the seams inside of the bag. Thus the seams are inside and concealed, and if broken or cut by any unauthorized tampering, the bag cannot be restitched in the inside of the bag while the mouth of the bag is sealed.

The mouth portion of the bag is so constructed as to sealably receive a tubular closure member ii. For that purpose, the upper rim portion of the bag is folded inwardly and stitched to the body of the bag to form a hem l4. Extending in said hem i4 is a core rope l5 which is slightly shorter than the length of said hem so that the ends of said rope terminate close to is a section taken on the line 3-3 of dence, and easily and quickly opened upon the ends of said hem as shown in Fig. 6, and which forms a thickened or beaded rim l6 for the mouth of the bag.

As a feature of the present invention, the ends of the hem i i are closed by means which I serve not only to block access to the rope i5 but also to receive a seal. For that purpose, said means comprises a tubular rivet ll passing through the ends of the hem it slightly beyond the ends of the rope l5, and having the ends upset to form an eyelet as shown in Fig. 6. This eyelet, besides having the functions referred to, also serves to effectively close the seamed portion of the mouth to thereby block access to the internal stitches of the bag through this seamed portion.

The tubular closure member is is provided with a longitudinal slot 88 of such width as to receive the Walls of the bag adjacent to the beaded rim It, the internal diameter of said member being such as to receive therein the two opposed portions of the beaded rim side by side. The width of each of these beaded portions exceeds the width of the slot l8, and the rope I5 is of such size and density as to render it impossible for these portions to be compressed to such an extent that they can be pulled out through the slot l8.

The tubular closure member !3 is adapted to be drawn endwise over the two opposed beaded rim sections l6 to close the mouth of the bag lil. As a feature of the present invention, this closure member i3 is made of absolutely nonbendable material, that is material which will break before it will bend. For that purpose, it is 5 preferably of cast iron but may be made of glass, ceramic material such as porcelain, or other nonbendable material.

The forward end'ZB of the slot 58 is preferably fiared or enlarged to facilitate the entrance 40 of the fold edge of the bag walls, and the walls of the closure member is near this forward end are provided with a pair of opposed holes 2! adapted to align with the eyelet ll and to re-v ceive the seal 22.

The opposite or rear end 01 the closure member 13 is completely closed by an integral Wall 23 which blocks access to the beaded rim it from that end of the closure member, and which also serves as a stop to predetermine the position of the holes 2i with respect to the eyelet ll when said closure member has been drawn into closed position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Inthis closed position, the holes 2| will be substantially in axial alinement with the eyelet, H, the closure member I3 being locked in this position by means of any suitable sealing device such as the seal 22 having a shackle 26 passing through these holes and eyelets. This seal is of such a character that it may be applied to connect the ends of the shackle and when applied it cannot be removed. It may be similar to those shown in my prior Patents Nos. 1,930,560 and 2,006,051.

It should be noted that the closure member i3 is of simple construction and can be quickly and conveniently applied to and removed from the bag it. In closed position, this bag cannot be opened without either breaking the seal, cutting the shackle, cutting the seams, or cutting the bag, and in any of these cases there will be telltale evidence that the bag has been tampered with. The closure member I3 cannot be bent to widen the slot I8 and to slip the beaded rim 16 out through the widened slot 18.

As far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, the closure member i3 need not have an end wall and may be transversely perforated at both ends, and the bag mouth may be provided with a second eyelet corresponding to the eyelet H but disposed on the opposite side of the bag to receive a second seal.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bag having a mouth edge which is thickened along the major portion of the length thereof and which is substantially fiat along a comparatively short portion of the length thereof, and an aperture through the flat portion of said edge, and a tubular closure member of nonbendable material slotted to receive the walls of said bag adjacent to said thickened edge, and having an aperture near one end to align with said bag aperture when in closed position, said apertures being adapted to receive a seal when in said position.

2. In combination, a bag open at one end and having the upper marginal portion thereof at said end folded inwardly and sewed to the bag to form a hem, a core rope in said hem serving to form a beaded mouth edge and having the ends thereof spaced from the ends of the hem, a tubular rivet passing through the ends of said hem beyond the ends of said rope, the ends of said rivet being upset to form an eyelet, and a tubular closure member adapted to enclose said beaded edge and provided with a longitudinal slot to receive the walls of the bag adjacent to said beaded edge, and having an aperture near one end adapted to align with said eyelet when in closed position, the other end of said closure member being closed by a Wall integral with said member, said aperture and said eyelet being adapted to receive a seal when said member is in said position.

3. In combination, a bag having an open end provided with a hem, a core in said hem serving to form a beaded mouth edge and having the ends thereof spaced from the ends of the hem, a tubular rivet passing through the ends of said hem beyond the ends of said core, the ends of said rivet being upset to form an eyelet, and a tubular closure member adapted to enclose said beaded edge and provided with a longitudinal slot to receive the walls of the bag adjacent to said beaded edge, and having an aperture near one end adapted to align with said eyelet when in closed position, said aperture and said eyelet being adapted to receive a seal when said memher is in said position.

FRANK KEIDEL. 

